My new game is a square corner green game that has no slots. Its a marble game from about 1955 made by eagle. The sides have 6 NHL team flags (not pennants). Name says "NHL electric hockey". Can anyone tell me more about it? I dont know how to post pics (I'm a DA with computers). Thanks alot!

That game is a 1958 version of Pro Hockey. This pedestrian non slot game originally came out in 1954 as a greyish game with just pennants of the name of each of the original six cities on the sides. That game matched the Montreal Canadiens vs a generic team of All Stars but clearly with the look of their rival Toronto Maple Leafs. At that point Eagle Toys only had licensing rights secured with the Canadiens home of where the company was located on Rivard St. In 1955 Eagle secured naming rights from the Maple Leafs and shortly thereafter the blessing of the four US based teams. In 1955 Eagle released their famed teal green game with the large logos of the original six NHL teams silk screened to the sides of the game and a continuation of the green ping pong goal nets. Pennants of the names of the original six franchises affixed to wooden dowels could be inserted to each corner of the game and at the mid point of center ice on the games totalling six locations with the teams on the ice getting top billing by having their pennant affixed at the games mid points on the scoring track line. Quite simply this game was the first deluxe product produced by Eagle and would forever be etched into the lore of table hockey as the de facto face of early original six era table hockey. The teal game could be purchased with the Habs vs Leafs or with all six NHL teams. That game was made in huge quantities from 1955-1957. The first year teal game had the logos of the Habs and Leafs on the scoring peg lines but it was later changed for 1956 to say home and visitors.

This game is the third in the line of stationary Eagle games. Note the metal nets that also adorned the first slotted game made by Eagle around 1957-58 called Power Play. That game had a C battery sized canister positioned behind each net that lit up when a goal was scored. This game also possesses that attribute but it is not apparent for this photographed game. The next year Eagle did away with that design instead locating the battery under the game and placing a cigarette sized light on each end line with a topped red globe bulb that lit on scoring for their 1958-59 version of Power Play. However I do not believe (could be wrong) that feature was installed on any versions of stationary Pro hockey. For some reason,however, I thought some time back long time historian/collector Andrew Bazan posted a photo of a teal game that had the circa 59-60 cigarette sized goal light stacks on that game. For 1959-60 Eagle changed the look of their Pro game (the 4th game) to include a plastic puck (marble) dropper that could be attached on either scoring bar mid point in a cut T shaped slot, new side graphics with original six logos amid a simulated wooden side with distinctive red painted metal corners, red barred nets and some not all with the logos of the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs silk screened to the surface at center ice.

Eagle would go on to produce three other versions of stationary marble games including a final version circa 1963-64 that featured yellow plastic stick players wacking the marble on the tilted surface. This game is I believe one of only two round cornered games of the seven versions of Pro hockey that Eagle made. The other two versions of Pro/stationary games I believe were both a bit more low volume produced games: one round cornered and one square that one will ocassionally see on Ebay or Craigslist that ventures out of a basement or attic. One of those is the square cornered game I called the "Shield game" whereby the logos of the original six are printed inside a shield outline (probably circa 1962) as the nets are white but minus the red bars that were phased out in 1962. There is a seventh stationary game version out there. Suffice to say it is a 1961 model round cornered game that had its named changed to "Playoff Hockey". Playoff had great side graphics of visiting white clad Montreal Canadiens playing against red clad Detroit Red Wings. The game had the marble puck dropper and was only made one year for 1961 as Eagle's production lineup was slanted to the slotted games and the stationary/slotted hybrid game "Playmaker" square cornered for 1959-60 and round cornered for 1961 was the only other non fully slotted game being produced. Eagle also made a stationary game of two on two in the mid 1950's say circa 1955-56 called PeeWee on an all metal surface that was originally a Montreal vs All Stars matchup then changed the next year to pit the Habs vs the Leafs.

Children love these games to learn on as they begin to develop the necessary reflex and motor skills to eventually play the slotted versions of this awesome hobby. Collectors drool and put up decent money to purchase to this day the various versions of Pro/stationary games that still remain in the mainstream as a lot of them come onto the market it seems almost more often than some of the more fabled slotted games. They can be mounted to the walls of a basement, rec room or bar and their is no issue with the rods moving. I think the solid, non slotted surface is a clincher particularly if the game has not been used heavily and circle indentations have not scratched or marred the surface. When the white or teal surface is cleaned and polished it exudes this timeless almost permanent quality that makes them great collectible games.

Last edited by Jefman on Sun Aug 19, 2012 5:28 pm; edited 3 times in total

Thank you Jeff, that was a terrific description. I was surprised to learn the game was 1958 and not '55. And Cowboy makes a great suggestion - make some Wikipedia entries - you and some others would make some great entries!
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